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Classico pasta sauce is one of the most popular jarred Italian sauces on the market, although there are several better alternatives. However, it’s not just the taste that attracts people to this brand, it’s the jar. Classico uses mason jars, famed for home canning. Thus, Classico pasta sauce jars seem perfect for re-use. So, can you reuse these jars?
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Atlas Mason Jars From Classico
The truth is that whether or not to reuse Classico mason jars depends on what you want to reuse them for. The jars used by Classico are not the type of mason jars you’d buy for home canning. These jars are stamped Atlas Mason, recalling an actual mason jar company that no longer exists called Hazel-Atlas, whose jars were stamped Atlas.
Can Classico Jars Be Used For Canning?
However, the jars Classico uses are not real mason jars and are NOT intended for home canning. The jars being stamped Mason Atlas has more to do with marketing than anything else. They are lighter than actual mason canning jars, although the seals and rings for mason jars will fit on them.
Therefore, you should NOT use empty Classic jars for home canning! However, they certainly are suitable for short-term storage of any number of foods or liquids.
Classic Jars Are Great For Storing Just Not Canning
You can of course store dry goods in them to your heart’s content. Just make sure they are clean. The lid design provides a good, airtight seal.
And, you can store liquid items for a short time in the refrigerator. For example, say you need to make a small batch of powdered milk. You could use an old Classico “mason” jar for this purpose.
Basically, you can use a Classico jar for anything you might re-use a commercial jar for, besides canning, and since the lid design is more secure, they will work quite well.
- SIMPLE FLAVORS - brought together to create a truly one-of-a-kind pasta sauce
- HANDPICKED INGREDIENTS - Plum tomatoes are slow-simmered with garlic, spices and a hint of heat from the chili peppers
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- TRADITIONAL TASTE - Part of our Mezzetta Napa Valley homemade products
- MEZZETTA - Great things come in glass jars
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To be clear, Classico says do not re-use them for home-canning. They say nothing of general re-use for non-canning purposes:
Can I reuse the Classico® jar for home canning? No. A coating is applied at the glass plant to reduce scratching and scuffing. If scratched, the jar becomes weaker at this point and can more easily break. This would increase the risk of the jar breaking when used for canning. Also, the lighter weight of our current jar could make it unsafe for home canning. 1Classico. “Frequently Asked Questions.” Find Answers, heinz.custhelp.com/app/answers/list.
Classico jars may not seem particularly light and fragile when you handle them, but if you compare an empty Classico jar to an actual mason jar, such as a Ball mason jar of the same size, you will notice a difference in heft and you’ll be able to tell that the glass is indeed thicker.
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Classico Jars Are Popular For Canning
According to some sources, such as HealthyCanning.Com older Classico jars, used during the 1980s and into the ’90s, were made of thicker glass but the fact that they were thicker still doesn’t mean they were suitable for canning, and there is no evidence that they ever used actual canning jars.
It does appear, however, that both the old and new jars are popular for canning. Since the glass was not manufactured and tempered in the same way as a true canning jar, all bets are off as to how well they will hold up under extreme heat and pressure.
If you use a Classico jar for canning and it fails, don’t blame Classico. As far as general re-use, I use them all the time. They are great for storing small non-food items as well.
If you do a lot of canning then finding jars to re-use is a good idea. You can often find mason jars at garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets. Don’t re-use the seals and lids, to be safe. If you are just getting started, basic home canning supplies are not all that expensive.
Better Alternatives To Classico Pasta Sauces
There are several other leading brands of jarred pasta sauce, readily available, that offer better taste than the Classico line of jarred pasta sauces. Look for Mezzetta, Rao’s, Carbone, and Michael’s of Brooklyn. All of these offer a more classic Italian taste. Rao’s and Mezzetta both have excellent marinara sauces. Rao’s may edge out Mezzetta, but Mezzetta is more affordable.
Key Points Summary for “Can You Re-Use Classico Pasta Sauce Jars?”
- One reason that Classic pasta sauces became so popular is because they use mason jars for their sauce, making them seem perfect for home canning.
- This leads people to ask whether it is safe to re-use Classico pasta sauce jars for one’s own home canning.
- The jars used by Classico are not the type of Mason jars you would buy for home canning.
- The jars are stamped Atlas Mason, recalling an actual mason jar company that no longer exists
- However, they are not real mason jars and are NOT suitable for home canning. Classico makes them look like this discontinued mason jar brand for marketing purposes.
- The jars are much lighter than actual mason jars and the seals and rings for real mason jars will not fit on them.
- As the company states, you absolutely should not use empty Classico pasta jar for any type of home canning.
- The jars are, of course, great for storing dry goods. You can even store refrigerated liquids in them for a short time as the lids provide an airtight seal. Basically, you can use them for anything you’d normally use leftover jars from commericial products.
- While Classico pasta jars are popular for home canning, the people using them are taking an enormous risk. The jars may not hold up under extreme pressure and may shatter.
- The rumor that Classic used to use thicker jars and now have switched to lighter jars is without merit. There is no evidence this is true.
- Used mason jars suitable for home canning can easily be found at garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets. However, you should always buy seals and lids new to be sure they are safe.
- There are several leading brands of jarred pasta sauce that you may like better than Classico, such as Mao’s and Mezzetta.
